Almendra introduces ‘night interruption’ LED tech for open fields to boost crop yields dramatically

By Agroempresario.com

Stevia extract supplier Almendra has ventured into new territory with an innovative agtech solution that promises to significantly increase crop yields, from soybeans to rice. The company's so-called “night interruption” technology, which involves exposing crops to specific wavelengths of light during the night, has been shown to improve plant growth, delay flowering, and ultimately boost yields.

While night interruption lighting has been used in controlled environments like greenhouses for many years, Almendra claims to be the first company to adapt this technology for open-field agriculture. Inder Singh, co-founder and CEO of Almendra, spoke to AgFunderNews at the recent World Agri-Tech Summit in San Francisco, explaining how this technology can optimize crop growth in a variety of agricultural settings.

“Night interruption technology, also known as night lighting or night break lighting, has been widely studied for its ability to manipulate flowering in photoperiod-sensitive crops,” Singh said. “By introducing short bursts of light—often red or far-red LEDs—during the night, farmers can either delay or induce flowering, leading to improved yield, better crop timing, and better adaptability to changing climates.”

The company, based in Singapore with manufacturing facilities in Thailand, holds patents for mobile irrigation rigs equipped with LED lights in both the US and Australia. According to Almendra, these LEDs influence flowering, leaf production, and ultimately the yield of crops by extending day length or breaking long nights, thus impacting the plant's developmental cycle.

For example, stevia plants, which are classified as “short-day” plants, naturally flower when nights become longer in late summer or fall. When the night length exceeds a certain threshold, the plant triggers flowering. By delaying this process through artificial light, growers can extend the vegetative growth phase, enabling the plant to focus its energy on leaf production, which is where the sweet compounds are concentrated. This results in a higher yield of sweeteners.

Singh emphasized that the use of LED lighting to optimize plant growth has already demonstrated its effectiveness in several crops, including soybeans, hops, and rice. He explained that the technology is inherently more appealing to farmers than other methods, such as costly inputs or genetic modification.

The firm has already completed five years of successful field trials with stevia plants, which showed notable yield improvements, making it a viable solution for large-scale agriculture. Almendra has also conducted extensive trials in Brazil, where soybeans benefited from a two-week flowering delay, allowing the plants to grow more leaves and stems and build a stronger canopy for photosynthesis, ultimately resulting in a significant boost in yields.

Trials in other crops, including chrysanthemums, hops, cotton, and rice, have also shown promise, with research collaborations from institutions like Cornell University, the University of Florida, and the International Rice Research Institute.

“One of the major advantages of this technology is its scalability,” Singh noted. “Many farms already use irrigation rigs, so retrofitting them with LED lighting is a relatively simple and cost-effective way to enhance crop yields. The cost per hectare is more than compensated by the increase in production.”

Almendra is exploring a licensing model to bring the technology to market, particularly focusing on regions where its patents apply, including the USA, Brazil, and Australia. The firm aims to provide growers with a tool that is easy to implement and can work seamlessly with existing irrigation systems, allowing for efficient integration into open-field agriculture.

Singh also highlighted that the technology’s flexibility makes it suitable for high-value crops as well as more common staples. The retrofitted irrigation rigs are compact and affordable, making them an accessible option for farmers across a variety of agricultural sectors.

As this technology continues to evolve, Almendra is set to make waves in the agtech sector, promising to revolutionize crop production and contribute to a more sustainable and efficient agricultural system.